Lisa Moore

"…my childhood was spent in the leafy suburbs of Canberra, Australia. I remember long afternoons stretched out on the carpet, head by the speakers, listening to Peter and the Wolf, the Grieg Piano Concerto, the latest Beatles singles and my parent’s large collection of 78‘s--songs by Eartha Kitt, Smacker Fitzgibbon and Rose Murphy. Teenage years were partly spent lying under the stars in outdoor concerts hearing local bands like Skyhooks and Midnight Oil. The rest of the time I was acting in youth and school theater, being Snow White and Oliver Twist and generally blowing off school. But for as long as I can remember the piano has been a part of my life, and for many years the violin too. My mother played Schumann, my grandmother played Schubert. There was always a piano around. My first piano teacher used to give me new pieces by Australian composers, which I didn’t care for. Ironically, as a Sydney conservatory student I met real living composers and I threw myself into that exciting world of premieres and new creations. New music deepened my empathy for the classical repertoire. Approached from a fresh perspective the classics suddenly sounded “avant-garde”. I moved overseas to study in the cornfields of Illinois and found myself surrounded by a huge new music and jazz scene. Long story short, 5 years later, after putting time in up-state NY and Paris, I moved to New York City-over 20 years ago. I’ve met and played with so many diverse, first-rate musicians. Composers have written heaps and heaps of notes for me and I try to play them, with clarity, gusto and conviction. I’ve performed and recorded old, new and unusual music all over the world with many kinds of musicians in different venues. I’ve played in the pit with the ballet, in the back with the percussion, out front in concertos and on stage in the theater. I’ve played on renowned stages, on boats, in ancient caves and smelly dives and under umbrellas. Music gives me freedom from the conventional and a safe place to take risks.